Prince Harry is considering launching a new charity in Africa after walking away from Sentebale amid a row with its chair of trustees.
The Duke of Sussex and his Sentebale co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, both stepped down as patrons in March, after their relationship with the chair “broke down beyond repair”.
However, sources have suggested that both princes are keen to continue their work helping children and young people with HIV/Aids in southern Africa.
A source told the Mail on Sunday: “The Duke is anxious that the fight against poverty and Aids in Lesotho and Botswana carries on.
“He and Prince Seeiso are keen to work together on a new venture. They are talking about setting up a new charity or clubbing together to support other existing charities.”
• Inside the crisis that ‘bled dry’ Prince Harry’s Sentebale charity
A spokesman for the Duke of Sussex said: “The Duke remains absolutely committed to continuing the work he started, supporting the children and young people of Lesotho and Botswana, nearly 20 years ago.
“In what form that support takes, no decisions have been made. All options remain on the table; whether that be starting a new charity or working to support pre-existing charities operating in the same sector in the region.”
Sentebale, which means “forget-me-not”, was co-founded by Harry and Seeiso in 2006 in honour of their mothers, helping about 78,000 children and young people a year.
Until recently, more than 700 children with HIV headed to its state-of-the-art facilities for “life-changing” residential camps each year, although it is alleged the site has been “effectively mothballed” in a funding crisis.
The suggestion of a new charity follows a report by the Charity Commission last Wednesday criticising “all parties to the dispute for allowing it to play out publicly” and “severely impact” the charity’s reputation.
The princes stepped down after disagreeing with the chair of the board, Dr Sophie Chandauka, over the charity’s fundraising strategy in the US and a £400,000 bill for consultancy fees.
Chandauka responded by alleging bullying and misogynoir (misogyny towards black women) within the charity and accusing Harry of “harassment and bullying at scale” by “unleashing” the Sussex PR machine.
The Charity Commission, which cannot investigate individual claims of bullying, found no evidence of systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir, but acknowledged “the strong perception of ill treatment” felt by some involved.
This weekend, the Mail also reported that Harry had issued a formal complaint about Chandauka’s conduct. A letter to the commission from his office accused her of “publicly recycl[ing]” claims and “leveraging the charity’s public platform to do so”. It added that this constituted, “an ongoing misuse of charitable resources for the pursuit of personal vindication”.
Harry pledged £1.1 million to Sentebale from the sales of his memoir, Spare
CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY IMAGES
An email to fellow board members also showed that Chandauka, a Zimbabwean-born lawyer, originally requested $3,000 (£2,200) a day for her time, after typically charging £2,500 for 60-minute speaking engagements.
A spokeswoman for Sentebale said Harry had offered Chandauka the role in February 2024, asking what her pay was, to which she replied referencing her rate for speaking engagements.
She said: “In the end, Dr Chandauka decided to do the work pro bono so that she could operate ethically and, most importantly, without fear or favour.”
The dispute spooked reliable donors, many from a group of Meghan superfans known as the “Sussex Squad”, who pulled funding worth an estimated £47,000 per year.
“There will be NO fundraisers, and we urge you to HALT all recurring donations until Prince Harry provides further guidance,” the online community said this week.
The charity’s top fundraiser, the Sentebale Polo Cup, which raises £740,000 a year, has not taken place for two years.
Harry himself was a major donor, pledging £1.1 million to Sentebale from the sales of his memoir, Spare, in 2021.
According to a source, the charity has used much of its £1.4 million reserves and is “now living on a shoestring”.
The source said: “The accounts were delayed to manage media narrative on the poor financial position.”
Sentebale denied the claim, saying it had acted to shore up its finances, and shifted the accounting period to “align with the calendar year and what is typically ‘giving season’ in the US and UK”.